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This FAQ is also available on the World Wide Web athttp://www.cs.unc.edu/~kupstas/FAQ.html
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This FAQ is intended to answer frequently asked questions on allergies and
asthma in the misc.kids newsgroup. Though the comments are geared towards
parents of children, there is plenty of information for adults as well.

The information in this FAQ is the collected "net wisdom" of a number
of folk. It is not intended to replace medical advice. None of the
contributors are medical professionals. Most of us either have
allergies/asthma or have relatives/children with asthma/allergies, so
this collection represents the experiences and prejudices of individuals.
This is not a substitute for consulting your physician.

To contribute to this collection, please send e-mail to the address
given below, and ask me to add your comments to the FAQ file on
Allergies and Asthma. Please try to be as concise as possible, as
these FAQ files tend to be quite long as it is. And, unless
otherwise requested, your name and e-mail address will remain in the
file, so that interested readers may follow-up directly for more
information/discussion.

This FAQ is posted regularly to news.answers and misc.kids.info.

For a list of other misc.kids FAQ topics, look for the FAQ File Index
posted to misc.kids.info or tune in to misc.kids.

Copyright 1995-7, Eileen Kupstas Soo. Use and copying of this information are
permitted as long as (1) no fees or compensation are charged for
use, copies or access to this information, and (2) this copyright
notice is included intact.

FAQ Overview:

General Information Part 1/2
General Information Part 2/2 -- this page
Allergy and Asthma Resources

Allergy and Asthma Book Reviews
Allergy Recipes

New material is marked by the | symbol.
New material on Contact allergies (contact dermatitis) and chemical sensitivities
Book information (section 7.3)
has been moved to the bottom of the resources section.

Topic Index:
These topics are in General Information Part 1/2
0) Disclaimer
1) What to look for to suspect allergies
2) Allergy treatment
3) Foods

The symptoms of contact allergies and chemical sensitivities vary
from person to person. A person can react upon exposure to a
particular substance, such as the metal nickel, wool, latex, rubber,
hair dyes (paraphenylene-diamine or PPDA), chromates (found in
cement, leather, matches, or paints) or household cleaners. A comman
example of contact dermatitis is poison ivy. Though these two terms
are not at all synonymous, the treatment is the same -- avoidance.

A person with a contact allergy will often notice redness, itching or
swelling when any part of the skin comes in contact with a substance
to which they are sensitive. The skin may form blisters that later
break. Clothing, blankets, carpeting and upholstry, or jewelry are
common culprits. Clothing can contain wool (a common allergen) or
chemicals used in processing the fibers, such as dyes, finishes or
sizers. Washing all clothing before wearing helps, but that may not
be sufficient to remove all the allergen. Obviously, this won't help
someone with an allergy to wool!

Jewelry often contains nickel as part of alloy or in electroplating.
Wearing no jewelry or only jewelry of 18 carat gold may help. Also
watch for buttons and other fasteners that may contain metal. Be
aware of keys, kitchen utensils, tools, door knobs, and other metal
objects. Look for clothing with non-metal fasteners, or coat the
parts that may touch the skin with clear nail polish or other
covering. Buy tools and utensils that have handles of wood, plastic,
stainless steel, or aluminum.

Many other possible allergens can be found in cosmetics, toiletries and
perfumes, household cleaners, and latex.

An allergist can perform a one of several tests to determine the exact
allergen. One test is a patch test -- a small amount of a suspected allergen
is placed on the skin for a period of time and then checked for a reaction.

See Contact Allergy and
Information on Common Skin Diseases
for more complete information.

Chemical sensitivities are not allergies, in the accepted definition
of an allergy as an antibody response by the immune system, but they
can have many of the same outward symptoms such as lightheadedness,
fatigue, headaches, and recurrent illnesses that have no other
explanation. Reactions vary widely from person to person, but the
treatment is the same: avoidance. Chemical sensitivities do not
require contact with the substance to cause a reaction. Fumes or
residues on surfaces may be enough to trigger a reaction. This type
of sensitivity can be hard to pin down, as it sometimes requires a
lot of observation to make the connection. Possible sources of
irritants can be anywhere -- carpets, laser printer toners, housing
insulation, household cleaners, etc. These sensitivities can be quite
serious, requiring complete avoidance of many common substances.

or The American Environmental Health Foundation
or The Environmental Hypersensitivity Association of Ontario

There is a mailing list
for people with chemical sensitivities called mcs-immune-neuro.

7) Asthma

7.1 Overview

On asthma: Not all people with asthma have allergies.
Roughly 5% of the population lives with asthma.

A generally accepted definition of asthma is that it is a
disease that is charaterized by increased responsiveness
of the trachea (windpipe) and bronchi (main airway) to
sometype of trigger that causes widespread narrowing of
the airways that changes in severity either as a result
of treatment, or spontaneously.

The major features of asthma include:

1. Hyper-responsiveness of the airways to a specific
trigger or group of triggers.
2. Obstruction caused by one or more of the following:
a. bronchospasm (contraction of the smooth bronchial
muscles
b. mucus formation
c. inflammation
d. edema (swollen lung tissue)
3. Reversibility: The changes in the lungs that occur as a
result of an asthma attack are not permanent, and will
resolve either spontaneously, or with treatment.

Many people with asthma find that strong emotions, stress or
anxiety can make symptoms of asthma worse, especially during
a severe attack. Sometimes asthma symptoms appear for no
apparent reason.

There are two types of asthma, acute and chronic.

Acute asthma is what we generally refer to as an asthma
attack. The bronchial tubes suddenly narrow, and the person
is acutely short of breath, and (sometimes) wheezes. An
acute attack may require medical stabalization in a hospital
setting; unless special equipment, medication, and help is
available in the home.

Chronic asthma produces symptoms on a continual basis,
and is characterized by persistent, often severe symptoms,
requiring regular oral steroid use in addition to multiple
medications.

On doctor's: Allergists are not the only physicians who
treat asthma. Pulmonologists are also medically specialized
physicians who treat many people who have asthma.

7.2 Treatments:

This was written with a view towards children, but also applies
to adults as well.

The environmental approach can be a real pain and a real expense,
but it does help - if you do it effectively. It does not help your
child to dust his/her room if you let him/her sleep with stuffed
animals, on an unsealed down pillow, on an unsealed mattress, in a
carpeted room, etc. It can do your allergic child harm if you vacuum
the house while he/she is around, or if he/she returns shortly after
vacuuming. We knew that these steps would help us, but never did
anything. When our kids developed severe problems, we didn't hesitate
to take drastic action, especially if it meant that we were able to
reduce their discomfort, the number of trips to the emergency room, or
the amount of medication that they were required to take.

This is what we did for our little asthmatics:

We started on their bedroom, where they spend aprox. 50% of their time:

- removed all stuffed animals
- removed all books
- sealed their mattresses and pillows in high-quality
dust-proof enclosures.
- removed the carpeting
- removed all draperies and curtains
- removed upholstered furniture
- moved most of their dust-collecting toys and furniture into
another room
- purchased an HEPA air filter

For the rest of the house, we:

- found new homes for our cats and dogs. Besides eliminating
the animal dander, there's far less skin and hair for the
mites to thrive in.
- removed all carpeting except on the stairs, where it
cushions their all-to-frequent falls
- removed upholstered furniture
- removed all draperies and curtains

Since we have hot-water heat, we didn't need to deal with the dust
problem associated with hot air systems. You'd be amazed at how much
dust collects in the ducts of a hot air system!

We vacuum only when the kids are away for a couple of hours (a real
pain!). After this, we damp-mop the floors and damp-dust
the furniture and woodwork in order to reduce the amount of dust.

On cat allergies specifically: Bathing cats can remove the dander,
which is the promary allergen. Cats deal best with baths if the
practice is started when they are still kittens. The catalog from
Allergy Control Products, 1-800-422-3878, has very useful
instructions for making cat-bathing easier.

One reference for cat dander, carpeting, and cat bathing is in the
journal American Review of Respiratory Disease, 1991, volume 143, pp.
1334-9: "Airborne cat allergen (Fel d I). Environmental control with
the cat in situ".

For more information on asthma, see
Alt.support.asthma Newsgroup
and the
Alt.support.asthma FAQ and the

Allergies can show themselves in a number of ways -- runny noses,
ear infections, digestive disorders, irritability, hyper- and hypo-
activity, and such. Adults are often more sensitive to "not feeling
right" than children are, so look for indicators such as changes in
behavior or chronic or repeated sickness the corelates to exposure
to various substances (foods, air-borne particles, chemicals, etc.).
Recurrent stomach aches, never-ending ear infections, or changes
in bowel habits may indicate that an allergy is present. In infants,
colic, formula intolerance, frequent spitting up, and
low-grade fevers can be signs of allergies. Note that allergies
may not show up at the first exposure to the allergen. Some
allergies may take repeated exposures to develop.

During pregnancy, it is possible for the mother's antibodies,
produced against allergens, to be passed in utero. This can
unknowingly sensitize the child to the mother's allergens. Though the
allergies weren't inherited, they are still "familial". As always, a
doctor's advice should be obtained as to whether or not the mother
should avoid particular foods; however, avoiding known allergens
would seem like a prudent thing to do.

For infants, breastmilk is the safest food, in terms of allergies.
Some children are allergic to cow's milk, soy formulas, and such. The
best advice is to experiment until you find what works for your
child. Some mothers report that the mother's consumption of cow's
milk will cause a reaction in a breastfed child; this has
been confirmed by medical experts, so you may need to check this if
your child is being breastfed. References for this and other issues
concerning infants are cited at the end of this section.

When a child is born, the intestinal track is not fully
developed. Some foods may cause a reaction in babies that will be
outgrown as the child matures. The safest course is to introduce new
foods one at a time over an extended period (say, one food per week)
and see if the child has an allergic reaction. Postponing the
introduction of common allergens (wheat, cow's milk, corn, eggs) and
favoring the introduction of almost-always-safe foods (rice, apples,
bananas) is one sensible approach.

Children with allergies face the same social difficulties that
grown-ups do, but with less maturity and emotional resources to
deal with them. Children find that they cannot eat what their
friends eat or cannot play outside during some seasons. Until
a child is mature enough to understand why s/he cannot do
whatever, the parent must be extra careful to help the child
through the difficulties. Start teaching your child early on
what s/he cannot eat; you will not always be able to monitor everything.

Some parents have found that by volunteering to bring food to certain
events, they can provide food the child can have. (In one book, a
mother suggested bringing an alternate birthday cake/cupcakes/treat to
a birthday party if the child is allergic to wheat, chocolate or other
common cake ingredients.) If the allergy is life threatening, the
parent must take special care to warn all adults that care for the
child about the problem. For example, peanut allergies can be quite
severe; a caretaker or neighbor could innocently offer a peanut butter
sandwich to the child without realizing the consequences. Other
allergic reactions are merely uncomfortable; in this case, the parent
and child will have to weigh the consequences of eating any particular
food vs. the freedom to do whatever.

Some parents find that it is easier to feed the whole family
the same meals, planned around the child's allergies. This
can require some initial adjustments to learn new recipes,
but then the ease of preparing only one dinner is there. Other
benefits are that the child doesn't feel isolated from the
rest of the family by a special diet.

Allergic reactions to foods can include stomach upset or
digestive upset. Children sometimes balk at eating anything
that has caused an upset. This may be a clue to the parent to
check for allergies. The parent will have to judge whether
the child is allergic, just doesn't like the food, or is
rejecting the food for any of the million reasons children
reject foods :-) As the child matures, s/he will be better
able to judge the reaction to foods as well as monitor their
food intake away from home.

8.2 Experiences

From Andrea Kwiatkowski:

One child and I have asthma and both children and I have food allergies
and are on special diets right now. One child and I are receiving
allergy shots. One suggestion that I have deals with the section about the
benefits of a pediatric/regular allergist. My 6 year old and I go to the
same one together. It was strongly suggested by my allergist to
reevaluate myself since allergies change and the shots have gotten much
better than when we were children. It REALLY HELPED Sarah to have mom
get tested and shots with her. All three of us get our flu shots
together at the pediatrician's office.

A great book on this topic and many others dealing with allergy in
children is "Is this Your Child" by Dr. Doris Rapp. She deals with common
allergy problems, providing pictures of symptoms and more controversial
ideas such as allergy control to improve behavior (dramatically improved
in my children), deal with ADD, epilepsy, etc.

From Heather Madrone )

From _Counseling the Nursing Mother_ by Lauwers and Woessner:

"The most common food allergen in infancy is cow's milk, with three-fourths
of such allergies beginning the first one to two months of life. Cow's milk
formulas do not contain the antibodies necessary to protect the infant's
intestines and for sensitive infants, the foreign protein of cow's milk
passes through the intestinal wall causing allergic reactions. These
reactions may manifest themselves as colic, diarrhea, vomiting, malabsoption,
eczema, ear infections or asthma. Symptoms of allergy are seven times
more prevalent in formula-fed infants than in breastfed infants, presumably
because of cow's milk. There is also the possibility that other food
antigens cause allergy responses in these infants, since solids are frequently
started at an earlier age in formula-fed infants.

"There are almost no antibodies in the immature intestine of a newborn infant,
leaving the wall of the intestine susceptible to invasion by foreign
proteins. Human milk contains a high level of antibodies, especially IgA,
which are thought to provide an anti-absorptive protection on the lining
of the infant's intestine, shielding the surface from the absorption of
foreign proteins as well as from bacterial infections.

and ....

"For any infant, with or without allergic tendencies, breast milk is
best able to protect him until his intestinal tract and immune system
mature. In one study, babies who were exclusively breastfed for
six months were no longer susceptible to eczema, food allergy or
asthma, despite an hereditary risk of such ailments. Breastfeeding
will not totally eliminate food allergies; however, it will greatly
reduce their incidence or delay their onset."

For a good discussion of allergies in children, see George Wootan's
_Take Charge of Your Child's Health_.

Anecdotally, in 3+ years as a breastfeeding counselor, I've noted that
children weaned before six months often have a very high incidence of
illness (particularly ear infections) and allergic reactions. Children
nursed longer than 18 months tend to be ill less frequently, have few
or no secondary infections (such as ear or sinus) and exhibit few signs
of allergy. Our pediatrician concurs in this and claims that the longer
a child nurses, the healthier the child.

--------------------------------------------------
This FAQ is also available on the World Wide Web athttp://www.cs.unc.edu/~kupstas/FAQ.html
--------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------

This FAQ is intended to answer frequently asked questions on allergies and
asthma in the misc.kids newsgroup. Though the comments are geared towards
parents of children, there is plenty of information for adults as well.

The information in this FAQ is the collected "net wisdom" of a number
of folk. It is not intended to replace medical advice. None of the
contributors are medical professionals. Most of us either have
allergies/asthma or have relatives/children with asthma/allergies, so
this collection represents the experiences and prejudices of individuals.
This is not a substitute for consulting your physician.

To contribute to this collection, please send e-mail to the address
given below, and ask me to add your comments to the FAQ file on
Allergies and Asthma. Please try to be as concise as possible, as
these FAQ files tend to be quite long as it is. And, unless
otherwise requested, your name and e-mail address will remain in the
file, so that interested readers may follow-up directly for more
information/discussion.

This FAQ is posted regularly to news.answers and misc.kids.info.

For a list of other misc.kids FAQ topics, look for the FAQ File Index
posted to misc.kids.info or tune in to misc.kids.

Copyright 1997, Eileen Kupstas Soo. Use and copying of this information are
permitted as long as (1) no fees or compensation are charged for
use, copies or access to this information, and (2) this copyright
notice is included intact.

*Butter is best, since most of the taste comes from it, but you can
substitute margarine if necessary.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together potato-starch flour, baking
powder, and salt. Cut in butter until all butter is evenly combined
with flour. Stir in milk to make a soft dough [start a little under
the required amount, then add as needed --ek]. Ro und up on lightly
floured (with potato-starch flour) board. Knead lightly. Roll out
about 1/2 inch thick. Cut and place on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake in 500 (F) [yes, five hundred] oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until
golden brown. I like these better at the lighter stage of brown than
darker brown. Serve hot, but these will keep for a day or so.

The Gluten-Free Gourmet: Living Well without Wheat
My copy was $18 Canadian.
This book has over 200 wheat free recipes for bread, cookies,
pizza, chicken pot pie, you name it. It is also full of advice
about adapting existing recipes and where to get substitutes.

The bread recipe in this book is great but the dough is too
sticky to be kneaded by hand. So my husband adapted her recipe
to work in a breadmaker. We have made this in our Pansonic many
times; it tastes like bread, it is nice and soft. It toasts
beautifully but unlike many rice breads is edible untoasted.

I make up 3 cups of this into a canister, 2 cups goes
for the bread and the other cup stays in the canister for
next time.
As for the xanthan gum, she talks about this more in the book
but it's a way to get the stretchiness that gluten provides.
She gives several mail order sources for it in the States;
here in Canada my inlaws simply asked their local health
food store to get them some and eventually it arrived.

My MIL has been gluten-intolerant for years and has been buying
rice bread, corn pasta and the like all that time; now that she
has this book she says she feels like a real person again. So
many foods she thought she'd never eat again are opened up to her.
She writes in the margin when she tries a recipe and every annotation
says "good" or "very good"; she has yet to be disappointed. She's
also gained weight which her doctor is very pleased about. I can't
recommned the book highly enough.

Preheat oven to 375 (F). Grease a 9 inch by 13 inch pan, or two 8
inch by 8 inch pans. Combine all ingredients in bowl and mix well.
It should be moist enough to form a ball, without extra liquid. Put
mixture in prepared pan(s) and spread evenly. Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and cut into squares while still hot. Wait until
the bars cool before trying to remove them from the pan.

Variations:

Replace apple juice with 1) orange juice 2) a mixture of 1/4 cup
molasses and 3/4 cup water 3) 1/4 cup molasses, 2 tablespoons dark
rum or flavoring, enough water to make one cup. If you want to up
the molasses a bit, you can omit the sugar in the recipe.

*You can make oat flour by putting rolled oats into a blender or
food processor and pulverizing them.

**if the fruit is hard, soak it with a bit of water before adding to
the mixture. The fruit doesn't soften much in baking. With variation
3, you can use a bit of rum or other flavoring in the soaking
water.

This will produce a thinner "eggy" textured pancake much like a
crepe. I prefer a savory treatment, with scallions or other
flavoring, but sweet is okay, too. Chutneys and relishes can be used
to fill these, or a dipping sauce can be made.

Use a nonstick skillet approximately 8 inches in diameter. Bigger or
smaller is ok, but yo u will have to adjust the amount of batter you
use to correspond. I prefer a 4 inch pancake for snacking.

In making these, you need to move deliberately and quickly. The first
few you make may be a little weird, until you get the hang of it.

Sift the chickpea flour into a bowl. Slowly add 1 cup of water , two
tablespoons or so at a time. Stir well after each addition of water,
breaking up the lumps of flour. Once this is smooth, add ano ther 1/2
cup of water to the mixture, and all of the spices. Stir to mix.

Measure out the oil and place in a small cup near where you will be
cooking; place a pastry brush, a teaspoon , and a 1/2 cup* measuring
cup there, too. (*The size of the cup depends upon the size of the
pancake you will be making. Experiment to find out what produces the
size you want.) Have a plate for the finished pancakes ready. Each
pancake takes between 5 and 8 minutes to cook. If you have two
suitable skillets that will make the process much faster.

Brush the skillet with approximately 1 teaspoon of oil. Let the
skillet heat on a medium l ow setting until it is hot. Stir the
batter and remove approx. 1/2 cup (or whatever your desired measure
turns out to be). Pour this into the skillet. Turn and tilt the
skillet to spread the batter to the very edges of the pan* (*If you
are making a smaller pancake, you can let it move as far as needed to
get a thin cake.) Keep doing this until the batter is evenly
distributed and has set. Dribble approximately 1 teaspoon of oil
around t he edges of the pancake and another teaspoon on top. (Use
less if you are making a smaller pancake.) Cover
the skillet and let cook for 5 to 8 minutes; it should be slightly
crisp at the edges and bottom. Carefully ease a plastic spatula
under the pancake, lift it and place on a plate.

These are best eaten immediately, but you can cover the plate of
pancakes with an inverted plate and do the remaining pancakes in
order to serve them all at once.

Serve with any chutney, dipping sauce, or condiment that strikes you.

Variation: While pancake is cooking place a small amount of chopped green onion on
top.

Turn the oven to 425 (F). Put the bacon grease in a 10" iron
skillet. Put the skillet into the oven. Meanwhile, combine the eggs
and buttermilk. Put the cornmeal into a large bowl. When the bacon
grease is melted, pour the grease into the eggs and buttermilk while
mixing. Stir the egg/buttermilk/grease mixture into the cornmeal.
Pour the cornmeal into the hot skillet and spread it quickly.

Put the skillet into the oven and bake 25 minutes. Immediately
remove from the oven and upturn it onto a serving plate.

(If you leave it in the skillet, the good crust gets soggy. I
guess if you like gentler cornbread, you can leave it in the
skillet. But if you want gentler cornbread, you'll have to put flour
in the mix. This is hale-and-hearty cornbread.)

Serve with turnip greens with lots of pot likker and cold buttermilk.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Golden Cake

contributed by JoAnne McCleeary

I use only Bob's Red Mill Stone Ground White
Rice Flour, from Natural Food, Inc. Milwaukie, Oregon 97222. It is the only
one that I have been able to get decent results in adapting wheat recipes to
rice.

Sift dry ingredients together. Drop in butter, 1/4 cup of milk, vanilla.
Beat for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the milk and eggs. Beat 2 minutes
more. Turn into a greased 9 or 10 inch round layer cake pan. Bake for about
30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Cool and turn out on a plate and frost.

Makes 1 layer. Stays very moist. Will taste wonderful if you haven't had
cake in a long time. My family can't tell this one is made from rice.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Hot Fudge Cake

contributed by JoAnne McCleeary
(adapted from Taste of Home Magazine)

I use only Bob's Red Mill Stone Ground White
Rice Flour, from Natural Food, Inc. Milwaukie, Oregon 97222. It is the only
one that I have been able to get decent results in adapting wheat recipes to
rice.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, white sugar, 1/2 of the cocoa powder, and
the salt. Stir in the milk, oil and vanilla until smooth. Spread in an
ungreased 9-inch square baking pan. Combine brown sugar and the other half
of the cocoa and sprinkle this over the top of the batter in the cake pan.
Pour hot water over all and DO NOT stir. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40
minutes. Serve warm. Top with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

Yield: 9 servings.

This one is impossible to tell that it's made from rice. I have served it to
company with great results.

Grease and flour 2 loaf pans.
Stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and spices.
Stir together pumpkin, corn oil and water, add eggs one at a time.
Make a well in center of flour mixture, add pumpkin mixture and stir.
Pour into prepared pans and bake for 1 hour at 325F

Heat electric griddle to about 400 degrees (hot). Mix batter well. Bake on
one side til bubbly and then flip. These are very moist and stay fresh in
the refrigerator for a week or so. They make great sandwiches, pizza crusts,
or breakfasts.

Beat all this together or mix will by hand. This should be slightly stiffer
than cake batter. Let it sit for 15-30 minutes. Fry 1/4 cup or smaller
spoonfuls of batter in hot oil, a few at a time until they are good and
brown. Check one for doneness by breaking open the first donut to see if it
is completely done. Rice flour products are very yucky flavored when they
are not completely done, but get too dry if overdone. Drain well and roll in
powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar or dip in vanilla or chocolate powdered
sugar glaze. This make a large batch, but they freeze very well and make a
ready snack for someone hungry for a really good donut.

Place all ingredients in blender, including the nuts if desired. Heat
waffle maker and place batter on hot waffle maker (you can use an ice
cream scoop as a measure). The batter will overflow if there is too
much, but the waffle will be too dry if you have too little. Do a
test run to see how much you will need. Cook the first waffle about 5
minutes; the others should be checked by about 4 minutes. Makes about
8 waffles.

Serve with fresh fruit or dried fruit puree; the author recommends a combination
of pumpkin seed butter and rice syrup. The leftovers freeze well and make
excellent sandwiches.

Variations: Use part buckwheat flour; use chickpeas and part chickpea
flour; use sweet potato in place of beans.

*you can use commercial peanut butter if allergies permit
**you can use another 1/2 cup raisins instead of the nuts

Melt chocolate and peanut butter together with oil, stirring
occasionally. This can be done on the stove over low heat or in the
microwave. When well blended, stir in the remaining ingredients.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper. You may need to use
your hand to shape them if the cookies refuse to stick together;
this won't matter in the final product. Chill until firm. These
should be stored in the refrigerator.

1:
This is a pointer to a great chocolate torte. It contains only
chocolate, butter, and eggs. It is technically a very easy
torte to make, it is just "fastidious" (as my husband says).
The directions are simple; you just need to follow them
precisely. The torte is very rich and keeps well. Serve with
very lightly sweetened whipped cream, or with rasberry puree,
or with nothing at all.

Pastry: use one that is suitable for your diet. There are several
listed in the book.

Filling

- 3 cups of sliced fruit

Glaze:

2 cups fruit
3/4 c water
1/3 c honey
3 T arrowroot

Make a chosen pastry.
Glaze:
Crush 2 cups of fruit and place in a pan with water and honey. Bring to
a boil for 2 minutes. Pass through a food strainer. Press down well.
(I used a food grinder with good results). Add arrowroot mixed with 1/8
cup of water to the strained mixture. Cook over low heat until thickened
(this thickens quickly).

Arrange sliced fruit in pastry. Pour glaze over sliced
fruit and chill. May be garnished with frozen drops of soy or nut
whipped topping.

I found that there was a lot of glaze left over from this recipe and it
makes wonderful jam for my daughter who cannot eat sugar. I made
strawberry/banana pie with strawberry glaze. It will work for just
about any fruit. You could make a
the pies with one type of berry in the pie and a different berry for the
glaze.

Stir the honey and peanut butter together, then add water and salt.
Add oat flour and stir well. Shape into small balls about one inch in
diameter. Place on a greased cookie sheet and flatten to about 1/4
inch with a fork, making criss-cross patterns on the cookie. Bake
at 350 (F) for about 20 minutes, or until golden
brown.

*You can make oat flour by putting rolled oats into a blender or
food processor and pulverizing them.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Peanut Butter Cookies 2

Contributed by JoAnn McCleeary

This is the greatest peanut butter cookie recipe that I got from a daycare
that needed to use up some government peanut butter. Even my non-gluten-free
friends rave!

1 cup peanut butter, smooth or crunchy
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Mix well. Place on ungreased cookie sheet as for cookies, flattening
slightly. Place sheet in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 10 minutes.
Makes about 1 dozen or so.

Preheat oven to 275 (F). Grease 9 inch pie plate well; make sure you
cover the bottom and sides. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar and
salt until just frothy. Continue to beat while adding the sugar a
bit at a time. COntinue beating until the egg whites turn stiff and
glossy. Stir in nuts quickly, with minimum stirring, and pour
meringue into pie shell. Smooth to form a proper pie shell. Bake for
one to 1 - 1/2 hours, or until light brown and crisp throughout. Cool
to room temperature, then fill.

Preheat the over to 400 (F). Place all ingredients in a mixing
bowl and mix well. Press the mixture in a 9 inch pie plate or baking
pan; you shoudl have enough to cover the bottom and some of the sides of the
pan. Place crust in oven and bake about 5 minutes, or until the crust
is slightly browned. Cool then fill.

Mix the crumbs and butter or margerine in a small bowl. Make
sure the crumbs are evenly coated. Press the mixture into
a pie plate, making the crust as even as possible. Bake
five minutes or until slightly borwned. Or, chill until firm
instead of baking.

Drop by teaspoonful, about 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheet.
These do not spread, so you may want to flatten slightly. It probably
doesn't matter, other than aesthetically.
Bake 350 (F) for 15 to 18 minutes or until center is set. (These
will still look wet in the middle; just make sure they are
set.) Makes 40 cookies or so.

This can be used to replace milk in recipes that taste odd
when made with commercial soy or rice milks. I use this for
custards and puddings, since soy milk can take on a nutty
taste when used in these. It is fine to drink, also. The fat
content depends upon the type and quantity of nuts used.
More nuts in proportion to water gives a richer milk. This
is somewhere between whole milk and half-and-half in richness.

Put nuts and water in a blender. Blend approximately 2 minutes
(more or less, depends on your blender. The nuts should be
pulverized.) Strain the resulting stuff to remove the nut chunks.
(I use a mesh coffee filter [ex. Melitta gold filter] and a rubber
spatula to force the liquid through. Paper coffee filters are too fine,
and kitchen seives are too coarse.) This makes 2 cups,
approximately.

*blanching the almonds (dipping in hot water for 30 seconds then
removing the brown skins) results in a much prettier milk. The
little brown flecks don't filter out so well.

Rinse rice to clean. Pour 4 cups boiling water over rice & let soak for 1 to 2
hours. Blend 1 cup soaked rice with 2 1/2 cups water (can be cold water).
Blend rice to a slurry (not a smooth liquid);pour into a pot & repeat
with rest of rice. Bring to a boil & then reduce heat & simmer for 20
minutes. Line colander with nylon tricot or a few layers of cheesecloth.
Put bowl under colander and pour rice mix in colander. Another 1 cup of
water (or less or more) can be poured over the rice to get out more milk.
Press with the back of a spoon, then twist nylon & squeeze out as much milk
as possible

This milk is very plain and can be flavored with oil, vanilla, salt, etc.

Mix the sugar, salt, and cornstarch in the top of a double boiler*
until the cornstarch lumps are gone. Slowly add the nut milk,
stirring constantly. Stir constantly for 8 to 12 minutes until the
mixture begins to thicken. Cover and cook 10 more minutes. Take about
one cup of the milk mixture and slowly add to the beaten eggs; you
want to avoid cooking the eggs. Now add the egg-milk mixture back
into the rest of the milk mixture. Cook 2 more minutes, stirring
often. Do not overcook. The mixture will thicken as it cools. Cool
slightly then stir to release steam. Add vanilla and stir in well.
Let cool until warm to the touch.

If you are making a pie, get out a cooked pie shell. If you are using
a bowl, get that out. Alternate layers of sliced bananas and warm
mixture, making sure each banana slice is coated. If the bananas
aren't coated they turn a yucky purple-gray, but still taste okay. If
the bananas are added while the mixture is too hot, they turn tough.
If the mixture is too cool, the banana essence doesn't permeate the
custard.

*You can substitute a heat-proof bowl over a pot of hot water for
the double boiler; you just need to have a lid that fits for later.
The custard will stick if you do not use a double boiler.

** you can use egg substitute here (ex. Ener-G egg replacer) with
adequate results, but the pie won't be quite the same.

Put tofu, milk, and honey in blender and blend until smooth -- this
may take be a minute or so. Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips in double
boiler or in microwave. Add melted chocolate to tofu mixture in small
additions, blending well before adding more. Pour into pie shell and
bake at 325 (F) for 30 to 40 minutes, or until set.

* you can use 1/3 cup powdered unsweetened cocoa plus sugar to taste if you
can't get dairy free chocolate chips. The taste will be much more cocoa-like
(obviously), which I find I don't care for. I imagine baking chocolate and
sugar to taste would work fine, too.

Mix ingredients in order given. Pour into ungreased square 8 inch cake pan.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.
Frost or serve plain with
ice cream. A double recipe is about right for a bundt pan, for a more
festive looking cake.

Put these ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil. Cook five
minutes. Cool thoroughly. Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix
well. Bake 45 minutes or until done in a greased loaf pan in a 325
to 350 (F) oven.

Cream butter, add the sugar, and blend thoroughly, Add the baking
soda to the soup, stirring well, and add this alternately to the
first mixture with the flour and spices sifted together. Stir well,
and bake in a pan or loaf tin at 325 (F)

Note: This is an acceptable substitute for pie filling.
I like it fine. My husband likes it ok, but says it
tastes "nuttier" than the regular pumpkin pie. I
haven't tried it on anyone outside the family :-)
I'm working on the recipe still -- I'll update this
if I have a real breakthrough!

Preheat oven to 350 (F). Put pumpkin and tofu in a blender and
blend until no little tofu lumps remain. You may need to do this
in two batches.

Move mixture to large bowl and mix in vanilla, honey, sugar,
salt, and spices. Dissolve gelling agent in hot water.
Mix in approximately one cup of the pumpkin mixture. Make sure
you mix in well. Add this back into the rest of the pumpkin
mixture, again mixing well. If you are using the optional
cashew milk, add this to the pumpkin mixture now.

Place this in pie shell or bake as custard in a greased
baking dish. Bake approximately 45 minutes or until
knife inserted in center comes out clean (more or less;
just not liquidy). It will solidify some upon cooling.

Using a saucepan big enough to be the mixing bowl, boil the
raisins in the water for 10 minutes. Let cool. Add everything
else (no need to sift). Bake in 10x10 pan for 35 min. at 350 (F).
If you use a loaf pan, bake 55 minutes, same temp.

Note: I make this with rye flour, due to allergies, and it
works fine, too. The texture is a bit crumblier, but the
taste is unaffected.

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